lumbar pain in GTI?

[Booth11]

The pilates is an interesting suggestion, I have heard many good things about it. Supposedly it builds your 'core' muscles around the pelvic area? When I used to do yoga (the light version not the human pretzel) it helped with the stretching and building thigh muscles. You feel a lot looser in the back and with the body feeling flexible there's less strain build up. Basically your body is not solid as a brick and you can actually bend your back!

Yes, Pilates helps to build core strength, not only in the pelvic area, but throughout the body and with an emphasis on improving alignment and breathing.  It also improves flexibility and joint mobility and muscle endurance.  And because it is a low impact form of exercise, the risk of injury is low and it is good for all ages.  But anyone with existing problems should check their doctor first to see if it might be of benefit. 

It is very important to find a good, qualified teacher.  I've done it for years and years and there are a lot of classes on offer (mainly in leisure centres) that are very poor, doing the exercises incorrectly at too rapid a pace, which provides little or no benefit and may actually aggravate existing back problems.  So if you are tempted to try it, take the time to seek out a good practitioner.  Any teacher worth their salt will carry out a proper appraisal of your existing health and be able to say whether it would be suitable.

I'm fortunate that my Pilates teacher is a also qualified (paediatric) physiotherapist in her day job, which helps.  All the exercises (some using resistance aids) are done very very slowly, with her adjusting you where necessary to ensure you are keeping your alignment.  Classes are small, no more than 8 people, so the teacher can monitor and assist each person.

I also do yoga (gentle form) but find I get more lasting benefit from pilates, though last night's yoga session has helped ease out back stiffness I had as a result of my full on car detailing session last week to rid my car of the Sahara sand!

Anyway, hope that making some slight seat adjustments makes a difference to you and eases your GTI lumbar pain 

[gelshocker]

The pilates is an interesting suggestion, I have heard many good things about it. Supposedly it builds your 'core' muscles around the pelvic area? When I used to do yoga (the light version not the human pretzel) it helped with the stretching and building thigh muscles. You feel a lot looser in the back and with the body feeling flexible there's less strain build up. Basically your body is not solid as a brick and you can actually bend your back!

Yes, Pilates helps to build core strength, not only in the pelvic area, but throughout the body and with an emphasis on improving alignment and breathing.  It also improves flexibility and joint mobility and muscle endurance.  And because it is a low impact form of exercise, the risk of injury is low and it is good for all ages.  But anyone with existing problems should check their doctor first to see if it might be of benefit. 

It is very important to find a good, qualified teacher.  I've done it for years and years and there are a lot of classes on offer (mainly in leisure centres) that are very poor, doing the exercises incorrectly at too rapid a pace, which provides little or no benefit and may actually aggravate existing back problems.  So if you are tempted to try it, take the time to seek out a good practitioner.  Any teacher worth their salt will carry out a proper appraisal of your existing health and be able to say whether it would be suitable.

I'm fortunate that my Pilates teacher is a also qualified (paediatric) physiotherapist in her day job, which helps.  All the exercises (some using resistance aids) are done very very slowly, with her adjusting you where necessary to ensure you are keeping your alignment.  Classes are small, no more than 8 people, so the teacher can monitor and assist each person.

I also do yoga (gentle form) but find I get more lasting benefit from pilates, though last night's yoga session has helped ease out back stiffness I had as a result of my full on car detailing session last week to rid my car of the Sahara sand!

Thanks for the detailed information, much appreciated. Definitely seems worthwhile to look into.

Anyway, hope that making some slight seat adjustments makes a difference to you and eases your GTI lumbar pain 

^^^ THIS ^^^ Thanks! The quest continues..

[david25]

Interesting, I managed to get a 48 hour test drive and couldn't get comfortable, it was the only thing stopping me from getting one.

[gelshocker]

This sounds like I'm resigning, but it could be the nature of the beast. The GTI is a small car and a 'hot hatch'. The cabin is cramped compared to a SUV, Saloon etc. The suspension is stiff and the tires are thinner with the 18" wheels. Handling at the expense of comfort. The seats may also not be firm enough to support the spine (though they may have to be softer to cushion the ride).

The only comfort I have right now is that I haven't experienced any back pain from a Honda Jazz that I drove a few times before. So I know I can drive a car without pain. But that car was SLOW 

Would sitting more upright, closer to the steering wheel help against back pain? Thanks,

[david25]

There is much more padding on the MK5 compared to the MK7 and the seats are narrower.

[Booth11]

This sounds like I'm resigning, but it could be the nature of the beast. The GTI is a small car and a 'hot hatch'. The cabin is cramped compared to a SUV, Saloon etc. The suspension is stiff and the tires are thinner with the 18" wheels. Handling at the expense of comfort. The seats may also not be firm enough to support the spine (though they may have to be softer to cushion the ride).

The only comfort I have right now is that I haven't experienced any back pain from a Honda Jazz that I drove a few times before. So I know I can drive a car without pain. But that car was SLOW 

Would sitting more upright, closer to the steering wheel help against back pain? Thanks,

You could be right.  I also think it very much depends on what you are used to.  If you're coming from some big wallowy cruiser then it's going to feel cramped and a bit confined.  My old boss, who was of big build and very tall, used to hate going in my old mk5 GTI, he found the bucket style seats narrow, cramped and very uncomfortable compared to his Ford Mondeo.  Similarly I went in a mates Mondeo Estate at the weekend and thought it was awful, seats too flat, seat and seat back hard as rock.  I'll take the body hugging GTI seats any day of the week.

I always think a fairly upright back position is beneficial but I think it's a case of try it for a few days and see. Don't forget you can adjust the steering column position too.  You might have to try multiple combinations of seat incline, seat height, lumbar support etc, and keep a note of how you fare with each.  If you don't jot it down you can guarantee you'll stumble across one you prefer but won't rremember what you did to acheive it.  The range of adjustment is both a blessing and a curse really - it gives you lots of variables but you could spend forever trying different things out.  Good luck.